A Northern Kentucky man gained the ‘Nobel Prize of group service’ Wednesday.
Bruce Kintner of Chilly Spring was chosen as a 2024 Nationwide Jefferson Award winner for his dedication to offering free automobile upkeep to low-income households via the Samaritan Automobile Care Clinic.
The annual Jefferson Awards “have been the best and most prestigious honor recognizing public service in the USA” for over 50 years, Multiplying Good, the group behind the awards, wrote on their web site. Previous recipients on the nationwide stage embrace Oprah Winfrey, former President Jimmy Carter and Shaquille O’Neal.
There are 11 totally different classes of Jefferson Awards. Kintner obtained the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Excellent Service Benefitting Native Communities.
Every year, do-gooders in additional than 90 cities in the USA obtain a Jefferson award on the native stage for his or her extraordinary work of their group. 5 of those native winners are then chosen on the nationwide stage for the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Excellent Service Benefitting Native Communities.
“It is an extremely humbling honor to be included with actually neat nonprofits from throughout the nation that do nice work,” Kintner mentioned.
Kintner gained the Jefferson Award on the native stage in March 2023. The award is offered by the Cincinnati Rotary Membership, who companions with The Enquirer Media and Native 12 WKRC-TV and the American Institute of Public Service to seek out and honor deserving people.
Why Higher Cincinnati wants the Samaritan Automobile Care Clinic
Kintner began the Samaritan Automobile Care Clinic in 2007 after a reverend on the Madison Avenue Christian Church informed him low-income single moms of their group wanted assist with automobile repairs. These automobile repairs had been important for moms to work.
In case your automobile is not working, you’ll be able to’t present as much as work and keep employed. If you happen to aren’t employed, you’ll wrestle to help your self and your loved ones.
“After housing, entry to reasonably priced and dependable transportation is the one best key to these households turning into financially impartial,” Kintner mentioned.
Whereas varied companies in Higher Cincinnati are devoted to supporting low-income girls via assist like housing alternatives, job coaching and baby care, there was a necessity for transportation help.
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Kintner labored at PNC Financial institution full time, however he knew his approach round a automobile. Regardless of being busy along with his occupation, he had a deep want to assist individuals. He stepped as much as the problem.
The Samaritan Automobile Care Clinic finds girls to help via referrals from Northern Kentucky social service companies. Every year, the clinic goals to assist roughly 300 households have dependable transportation via complementary automobile repairs.
After all, they want that they had the means to assist much more.
“Calls for far exceed our provide,” Kintner mentioned.
Kintner continues to use for grants so the clinic has funding. He give up his senior-level job at PNC to change into the nonprofit’s full-time director, which was a contingency donors made to provide funding.
He stays dedicated to this work and is aware of it’s a necessity. In any case, the nonprofit tagline is “A automobile will get you far.”
Service thrives within the Higher Cincinnati Space
Kintner is the tenth recipient of the nationwide Jefferson Award from Higher Cincinnati because the Rotary Membership started nominating nonprofits and their founders 19 years in the past.
“We’ve a lot excellent service in our Cincinnati group,” mentioned Invoice Shula, chair of the Jefferson Award committee for the Rotary Membership of Cincinnati. “Each single 12 months, I study extra.”
Extra:Discovered Village CEO Katie Nzekwu receives nationwide Jefferson Award for native public service
The newest winner was Katie Nzekwu, CEO and co-founder of Discovered Village, who gained the nationwide Jefferson Award in 2021.
Discovered Village is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit devoted to serving to foster-care teenagers, younger individuals emancipated from foster care with no household or help, youngsters dwelling in single-parent houses and different youngsters going through tough life circumstances.